Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Abuse survivor on Vatican panel applauds Church progress

The only abuse survivor
serving on a panel set up by Pope Francis to fight clerical sexual abuse
says the Church is making good progress and welcomed changes initiated
by the Vatican, reports the Religion News Service.

Irish-born Marie Collins is a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.

“I have complained about slowness and frustration in the past,” Ms
Collins said last week. “From my point of view as a survivor, I would
like everything to happen tomorrow.”

But, she continued: “We have had some really positive moves.”

Ms Collins, who has said she would quit the panel if she did not see
substantive reforms, specifically cited the Commission’s participation
in an orientation program for new bishops at the Vatican last week.

She also pointed to a Papal decree issued in June by Francis and
designed to make bishops more accountable for abusers and to mandate
their removal if found to be “negligent” — something that had not
happened before.

“It (the decree) covers more than the bishops, it covers the
religious superiors as well,” she said. “We have abuses in the religious
(orders), as well as the dioceses, so it’s a wider reach.”Francis has also approved a request that each country’s hierarchy should establish a national day of prayer for victims.

The Pope also suspended the Archbishop of Guam when he was accused of
abusing altar boys years ago and sent a Vatican delegate to
investigate; the delegate, an Archbishop, this week said that the Guam
prelate should be permanently removed and that he will be subject to a
Church trial.

But not everyone is satisfied.

Peter Saunders, a British victim of clerical sexual abuse who had
been on the Vatican panel but was sidelined by the Commission earlier
this year, said this week he was “too outspoken” to be reinstated.